Running One VC on a DVC Sub

That amp isn't really powerful enough for either sub to be powered properly and you will probably end up sending a clipped signal to them with it, not to mention have phasing issues and freqeuncy cancellation.glh

The only SAFE way to wire those drivers on that amp is to wire the coils of the dvc driver in series, then parallel the 2 drivers at the amp.

WOW!! almost 7 years later and my topic is still an important piece of information!! i'll have to say, this topic showed me that no matter how much you think you know, you're never too old to learn something new. it's the people like stevdart, DYohn, Steven Kephart, and especially haemphyst that make this site such a valuable tool to anyone. if not for them, i may never have understood the technical aspects of the subject in question. Dan Wiggins' papers are a must read!! huge thanks to you guys and everyone else that makes this site what it is!! Whatever you do, DO NOT let the white smoke leak out of the wires.....

Hello. I have read this entire post from top, to bottom. It seems to have a lot of good information, yet I'm still confused on the best configuration for my amp and subs. Amp has a Maximum Power Output 2 x 1000W Bridgeable RMS Power @ 4 Ohms: 1x2000W 2 Ohm Stable I have a single 15 inch sub with Dual 4 ohm Impedance 3600 Watt Peak Power. After reading this forum, I'm even more confused than when I started on how to wire it to get the most power.   I intended on wiring both voice coils in parallel, giving the sub a 2 OHM load to the amp. I don't think this is a good idea now. Would It be best to bridge the amp and wire the subs for an 8 OHM load ? Or should I just wire a single voice coil to get the full 2000 watts out of the amp? Or How about a channel to each coil? I have read every way mentioned, I was just curious as to what you suggest as the safest most efficient way to wire this combination thanks.

wire your sub @ 8 ohms and bridging it at the amp will bring it to 4 ohms

drbizerk wrote: wire your sub @ 8 ohms and bridging it at the amp will bring it to 4 ohms

I'm a noob when it comes to hooking things up right. I had several DIY systems in my teens. They all actually sounded pretty good, never mind the fact that I payed little or no attention at all to the OHMs, if I recall all the subs I owned previously were single voice coil, and probably 8 ohms.   I am a little confused as to what you are saying. Are you saying bridging the amp and wiring the subs at 8 ohms will carry a 4 ohm load to the subs?   I was under the impression that if I wired the subs at 8 ohms the amp would carry an 8 ohm load and I would lose some power, which is why I would assume any one would even suggest only using one voice coil, to match the amps 4 ohm load when it is bridged at maximum power. This would allow the amp to push all 2000 watts of its max power. My speaker is rated to handle 3600 watts. Would you be getting the most power out of your amp using only one voice coil ?   From what I have read if the speakers are wired at 8 OHM this decreases the amps peak power handling.( 2000 watts @ 4 OHM ) any way to figure out the wattage at 8 ohm ?) Is there that much of a difference ?    Sorry for all the questions, its just that I have seen a lot of difference in opinion in this thread, and i'm just trying to get the most out of my amp and speaker.

drbizerk wrote: any time you BRIDGE an amp your ohm load at your speaker wires will be divided in half. Hope this helps

This is why the phrase "ohm load" is SO incorrect!!! The number of ohms is halved, true, but when the number of ohms is halved, that's TWICE THE LOAD, not half!! It can't be both. It's ohms or load, but not "ohm load". Ohms is impedance. Impedance is the load. "Ohm load" is like SQL... it doesn't exist. What you SHOULD say is this: any time you BRIDGE an amp your ohms at your speaker wires will be divided in half, which is effectively a doubling of the load. Hope this helps Even though TECHNICALLY this isn't really correct, either... While the ohms presented by the loudspeaker connected to the terminals never changes, the load the amplifier channels experience is doubled, due to the power supply rails being connected across the load for twice the voltage... Twice the voltage will generate twice the current, thus, four times the power. The "twice the current" caveat here is what makes the amplifier think it is connected to a lower impedance than it actually is.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Warped: You will always have 8 ohms. The impedance of the woofers are not carried. It only tells you what the electrical resistance of that driver is. That number is also *always* whatever the impedance of the woofer is. Impedance is a dynamic number, stated as ohms, with the nominal impedance of a given driver the stated number - i.e. 8-ohms, or 4-ohms. The amplifier creates power, it doesn't "handle" power. Drivers "handle" power. The amount of power an amplifier can create is determined by the load attached to the terminals. If an amplifier is stated at 1000W at 4-ohms, then you can generally safely say that at 8-ohms it will make about half that amount, possibly a little more.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."